Pinterest, the pinboard-style image-sharing website, has just had an upgrade making it easier for users to view information about their favourite pictures.
The social media site's pinboard has long been criticised as purely "eye candy" for a particular item or theme. If a user wanted to dig deeper and find out more information on a particular topic raised by viewing the image they had to click through to the original website.
However with the recent launch of "Information Pins", Pinterest is offering the user the information they may require without having to navigate away from the site.
Pinterest has quickly become the social media darling of the corporate world with more and more businesses looking to use the site's visual content to attract new lines of revenue.
Brands hope these more comprehensive pins will give them an edge over their competitors while driving up their own following.
Pinterest has partnered with a number of brands, including Netflix, Sony and Martha Stewart Living, to help the site introduce these more descriptive pins. A pin from Netflix, for example, could also contain information relating to the cast members and rating of a film. A pin from Martha Stewart Living on how to bake an apple pie could also include useful hints and tips from the experts.
The pins will be split into three categories: "product pins" for items such as clothing, furniture and availability on where to buy; "movie pins" for reviews, ratings, and information on specific films; and "recipe pins" - one of the most popular categories on the whole site - which will now include ingredients and cooking times. By its own admission, Pinterest does not make any money. There's no doubt the introduction of descriptive pins will ensure an increase in user engagement and time spent on the site.
This is an all-important metric when attracting advertising revenue, which the company hopes will assist in its drive to profit levels more in line with its US$2.5 billion valuation.
